Skyrim - Quakecon Preview Overload

Now that the site is back up, it's time to catch up on Skyrim previews from QuakeCon. We're a bit behind, so I'll highlight a few major previews and line-list a bunch of others (thanks crpgnut and CountChocula!).

IGN has Stomping Across the Snows of Skyrim:

The feel of combat is still far from that of an action game, but doesn't feel quite as floaty as Elder Scrolls games past. Weapon strikes rebound off of enemy shields with a noticeable springiness, and because of how the camera moves when readying a heavier weapon strike, it feels as though there's more force behind each swing. Magic in the demo area was limited to three spells at the start, but each had cool effects, particularly the flame spell that shot a jet of fire forward, capable of setting the ground and trees alight or cooking bandits before they even had a chance to land a hit.

While some of the adventuring resulted in random combat, and some directed me through easy to follow labels on the world map and compass to quest goals, at other times I wound up discovering the bizarre and unexpected. Take for example the black door adorned with a skull I found near a frigid pond in a rocky recess. When I approached the subdued soundtrack of a tranquil forest was joined by a faint, menacing drum beat. The door spoke to me in an otherworldly whisper while shimmering faintly, and asked if I knew the music of life. I ran through the conversation tree to exhaust all options, answering drums, screaming, some kind of choir. The door promptly declared me to be unworthy and refused to open. I don't know what the correct course of action was, but knowing that oddities like this exist in Skyrim is just as exciting as the knowledge that I'll eventually be able to fight dragons.

Eurogamer, who point out 60 minutes isn't a lot to "make sense" out of a game like Skyrim:

I've kind of been here before – in my haste to just pick a direction and explore, I've wound up following a similar path to the one Todd Howard chose when I saw Skyrim in April. But whereas Howard showed us what he tells me was "a greatest hits of that dungeon", I get to examine it in detail.

If it's representative of the average quest, the Bleak Falls Barrow is hugely promising, rich in varied combat, booby traps, puzzles and lore.

There are bandits to eavesdrop on and sneak around – the Khajiit are especially good sneakers, so I huddle in shadow and draw a longbow on the nattering bad guys from a few feet away. Later there are the skeletal draguar, who employ magic as well as swords and axes, and there's a mini boss fight with a giant spider.

There are door switches rigged to banks of arrows that need to be disarmed by observing your surroundings and rotating totems like tumblers in a lock, and there are pressure plates and levers that activate spike doors and swinging blades, which are great for making short work of draguar as their numbers increase.

Destructoid:

My favorite weapon has to be the bow. The revamped physics and controls made me feel responsible for every arrow shot. The trajectory of the arrows is realistic and not randomly determined by stats, but the damage is. A stealth arrow to the head is something I don’t think I will grow tired of during the many hours I plan to spend with Skyrim. If you aren’t a natural Legolas like me, unlockable skills will help you perfect your bow-and-arrow skills by slowing down time or providing a closer zoom.

The cavern itself was rather impressive for being such a hum-drum locale. The elements of Skyrim’s new Creation Engine are displayed to great effect. The lighting generates a haunting atmosphere, and a waterfall coming down the multi-tiered levels of the cave presents a spectacle that interiors in Fallout 3 and Oblivion lacked.

Fans of Fallout 3 will be happy to hear that lockpicking, NPC followers that you can direct and weapon crafting will return in Skyrim with subtle improvements. For example, NPCs will follow you based on their perception of you -- a mix of your karma, dialogue choices and quest favors all brought together through the new Radiant AI system.

The first GameInformer article:

Once players exited the character creator, they found themselves with their hands bound wearing tattered rags for clothing, and limping through a gloomy cave. For the sake of the demo, however, the players were freed from their chains and given a healthy selection of gear, including iron armor, several swords, and a bow. On the magic front, players had access to a healing spell and a destructive fireball spell.

Emerging from the cave gave everyone a new breathtaking view of Skyrim's expansive world. The environment immediately outside of the cave is a lush forest. The attention to detail in this region is staggering; both the high canopies and dense foliage make you truly feel like you are in a giant forest. Some players chose to interact with the flora, raiding a beehive for honey combs and picking mushrooms. Others moved straight into combat.

...and the second, featuring a Khajit play-test:

Heading north again, I ran into another farm. This was a much bigger plot of land, with several gardens. In the middle of this farm a group of three humans were battling a massive giant. Rather than joining the fray, I decided to just sit back and watch. The battle raged back and forth, but eventually the humans prevailed. Afterwards I met Alea the huntress and her sidekicks Farkas and Ria. My first interaction with her was a statement about the battle – I could say "You don't look like you need any help," or "I tried to help." When I chose the flattering option, she thanked me and explained that her band was a part of the Shield-Brothers. I was then prompted to inquire about joining the group or wryly responding "Sounds like a waste of time." Alea told me that if I wanted to join the group I would have to ask the leader of the Companions.

Here's a shakycam video of the public demo - this is a Mediafire link (167Mb - be warned), unfortunately, but videos I've seen on Youtube or other sites have been taken down. Hopefully, this one will last a little while.

A few more:

• http://www.gamepro.de/preview/spiele/ps3/rollenspiel/the_elder_scrolls_5_skyrim_preview/1971062/the_elder_scrolls_5_skyrim_preview.html
• http://multiplayer.it/articoli/91640-the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-lalba-dei-dragoni.html
• http://www.gamespot.com/events/quakecon2011/story.html?sid=6327397&pid=615805&mode=previews&tag=topslot;thumb;1
• http://www.g4tv.com/games/xbox-360/64714/the-elder-scrolls-5-skyrim/articles/75197/the-elder-scrolls-5-skyrim-hands-on-preview-time-flies-when-youre-dual-wielding-fire-spells/

CountChocula also wrote out some highlights:

1. - joinable Rebel faction (the Stormcloaks)


2. - pickpocket skill provides greater RP opportunities and much more realistic thievery for thieves


3. - myriad options for facepaint


4. - char gen remembers your settings when switching to different races


5. - even minor NPCs have much more complexity and depth compared with Oblivion


6. - you can persuade various random NPCs to accompany you and they feel like fleshed out, interesting companions


7. - there are six different stages to crafting items (refining crude ore, assembling materials, not sure what the other 4 stages are but it sounds a hell of a lot more complex than Oblivion and Morrowind crafting)


8. - more realistic alchemy labs instead of spamming health potions in the middle of a dungeon


9. - in addition to alchemy ingredients there are also reagents (more complex alchemy system than Oblivion)


10. - some spells you find as spell tomes and others you purchase from merchants, but spells definitely not perks


11. - hand to hand attacks have a much improved gravity and physicality


12. - the first encounter with Rebel soldiers (Stormcloaks) escorting a prisoner sounds AWESOME - you can choose various options, like setting the prisoner free, giving him a sword, etc. Quests in general sound like there are more ways to complete them


13. - Bosmer look better than in Oblivion


14. - traveling merchants camp beside rivers


15. - you can learn Alchemy by trial and error, tasting unknown ingredients or making potions with unknown effects


16. - lockpicking mini-game improved


17. - Bards confirmed in Falkreath


18. - MYSTERIOUS BLACK DOOR!!!!


19. - you can hold onto your perk slots instead of choosing a perk at each level up


20. - you can add laugh lines in character generator


21. - you can give a Dunmer one red and one gray eye in the character generator


22. - loading screens look cool


23. - after murdering innocents in Falkreath Hold, the PC in one of the demos crossed the border into White Hold and no one bothered him


24. - there is a Two-Handed perk called "Barbarian"


25. - "DOZENS" of sliders for character creation


26. - using fast travel now costs money